OWNER REQUIREMENTS & INSPIRATION

Designing your own custom home is a unique opportunity for you to create your ideal space, and we want you to love what we create together. Before we begin design, it can be extremely helpful to understand what is most important to you. If you have collected inspiration images (Pinterest, magazine clippings, blog articles, etc), please share them with us so we can get a sense of what motivates you.

Please feel free to visit the Shapeless Studio Pinterest boards as a starting point. We have collected a lot of imagery over the years that is compelling to us, and it could help jump-start your own ideas.

SCHEMATIC DESIGN

ELEVATION DEVELOPMENT

Once the basic plan has been approved, we’ll continue to development the design by drawing the interior elevations of the project, paying special attention to the key moments like kitchens, bathrooms, areas with custom millwork, and other special design elements. We often draw different options that explore various spatial configurations and material selections. In addition to elevations, Shapeless Studio can develop perspective drawings and 3D models of key moments to help you better visualize the space.

MATERIALS

Materiality is one of the most important aspects of the design for us. We keep an extensive material library in our office, and frequently visit showrooms and vendors to source the highest quality and best value finishes. We find that Design Development meetings are the most productive at our office, so we can collage different mateirals, colors, textures and ideas together, with our entire library at our disposal.

PRODUCTS, FIXTURES, AND FITTINGS

During the Design Development meetings, we will have focused portions of each meeting that include recommendations for products, fixtures, and other specifications that will ultimately be purchased for inclusion in the project. These selections will include plumbing fixtures, appliances, decorative lighting, door hardware, bathroom accessories and other miscellaneous hardware, initial paint colors, windows and doors, etc.

CONSULTANT COORDINATION

During Design Development, we will begin coordination with any outside consultants, like MEP Engineers (Mechanical/Engineering/Plumbing), Structural Engineers, AV Consultants, etc.

CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS

After Design Development is complete, we will spend time compiling the set of drawings and specifications that your contractor will use to build from. We will coordinate our drawings with the information that comes back from our consulting engineers. Developing these drawings takes a fair amount of time to ensure all the information is correct and buildable. Our drawings tend to be very detailed, and we like to produce a solid drawing set for the contractors to bid from. When all the information is there from the first day the GC begins a bid, it means that we will have a lot of leverage during construction to ensure that our details are carried out well, and there will be much less room for them to negotiate changes orders once construction begins.

SPECIFICATION PACKAGE

We also prepare specification books that include all the materials that the contractors (or owners in some cases), will need to purchase for the project. All the materials in the spec book are keyed into the plan with different tags. If any item in the spec book is not 100% approved at the time of bidding, we can request the GC’s provide a certain allowance for purchasing material, to ensure it isn’t forgotten in the overall budget.

CONTRACTOR SELECTION

Shapeless Studio can recommend several qualified contractors to bid, based on the nature and budget of the project. We are also happy to work with new contractors selected by the owners. Shapeless will coordinate walk-throughs and interviews with potential bidders, and respond to any requests for information.

BID ANALYSIS

Shapeless Studio will prepare a bid review, comparing the candidates and making sure each accounted for all the scope in their proposals.

CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

Shapeless Studio generally recommends signing AIA contracts. They are good, court tested contracts that everybody in the industry understands, and they have a lot of protections in them for the owners. The companion to the architectural contract we often use for residential renovations is AIA A104. We recommend reading through this contract to become familiar with the roles and responsibilities of each party prior to selecting a contractor.

REVIEWING THE WORK

The best way to ensure the construction is proceeding according to plan is to meet routinely on the jobsite together. These meetings will ideally include the owner, Shapeless Studio, and the contractor. At these meetings, we can answer any questions or clarify anything on the drawings. If an existing condition on the jobsite differs from what we had assumed (for example, if an existing floor joist is located directly beneath the proposed toilet location), we can discuss the issue right then and there, to come to a decision about how to proceed.

The primary role of the architect during construction is to review the work, and evaluate the quality and general conformance with the approved design, to make sure you are getting what you approved. However, the architect cannot be expected to inspect every last thing, cannot verify every site dimension for conformance, and can’t directly supervise workers. The General Contractor is still ultimately responsible for making sure the construction follows the drawings.

COMMUNICATION

During meetings, we will keep records of decisions, coordinate with the engineers for clarifications or design revisions, and we will keep you informed of progress if you are unable to attend site meetings. All communication with our consultants should flow through us, and similarly, all of the General Contractor’s subcontractors should be communicated with through the GC. We should also be kept informed of direct communications between you and the General Contractor, so everybody that needs to make decisions always has the most current information. Communicating in this way is clearest, and it is the best way to avoid confusion and miscommunications, which can result in mistakes on the jobsite.

SUBMITTALS & RFI’S

This includes reviewing shop drawings and submittals for conformance with the design, preparation of sketch drawings clarifying construction documents as required. Typically, we request shop drawing submittals for all millwork and specialty installations, new windows, new doors, new staircases, structural steel (also reviewed by structural engineer), HVAC systems (also reviewed by MEP engineer), and anything else we call for during bidding.

ADMINISTERING THE CONTRACT

As part of our basic services, we can review the contractors’ requests for payment, change orders, and changes in schedule. This can be helpful to ensure the contractor is billing for appropriate amounts, particularly with respect to any change orders.

PUNCHLIST

Towards the end of the project, the architect will assist in making a “punchlist”, which is a list of relatively minor items that need to be taken care of before the project can be considered 100% complete.